Giant redstart

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Giant redstart
Giant redstart, male in front, female in the back

Giant redstart, male in front, female in the back

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Flycatcher (Muscicapidae)
Subfamily : Schmätzer (Saxicolinae)
Genre : Redstart ( Phoenicurus )
Type : Giant redstart
Scientific name
Phoenicurus erythrogastrus
( Güldenstädt , 1775)

The Güldenstädt's Redstart ( Phoenicurus erythrogastrus ) is a bird art from the order of the passerines and the family of flycatchers .

features

The giant redstart is about 15-16 cm long, significantly larger than the native species of the genus Phoenicurus . The males are unmistakable in their magnificent dress . The skull and neck are light gray to white. The rest of the head, back, upper chest, and wing covers are black. The rest of the trunk, under tail-coverts and rump, like the genus-typical tail, have a bright dark orange to rust-red color. The wings are basal white, distally also black, the white wing bases form a conspicuous white wing mirror.

The females are similar in color to the females of the native black redstart . They are solid gray-brown, the tail is dirty orange. Upper arm covers, hand and arm swing are slate gray with lighter, gray-brown hems.

The wing color and the orange-red tail are already present in young males, otherwise the plumage of these is warm gray-brown on the underside and a little grayish on the upper side. Sometimes the breast plumage is already tinged slightly orange-red. In the simple dress of the males, the upper side is colored dark, the underside rust-red. The wing mirror remains in this dress.

Distribution, habitat and existence

The giant redstart lives in the high mountains of Central Asia at altitudes of 2200 to about 5000 m. It occurs as a breeding bird in the Caucasus , northern Iran , southern Russia , Kazakhstan , Mongolia , western China , Afghanistan , Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan , northern Pakistan , northern India , Nepal and Bhutan . It is a resident bird , but migrates down into the valleys in winter up to about 1500 m. In the IUCN Redlist, the species is classified as '' least concern ''.

Way of life

The nest is built on rocky ground, for example in crevices, on scree slopes, or under large boulders. It usually arises in a depression in the ground (or rock) or is surrounded by larger stones. It consists of twigs, grass , stalks and other parts of plants and is lined with hair, down and moss . It has a not very deep hollow and is cup-shaped. The breeding season of the redstart is between May and July. At the beginning of this period, the female lays four to five light, reddish-brown speckled eggs and probably incubates them alone while the male procures food.

The bird eats insects , spiders , larvae , worms and other invertebrates . In autumn he also eats berries .

literature

  • Karel Šťastný: Birds Handbook and Guide to the Birds of Europe . Bechtermünz Verlag im Weltbild Verlag GmbH, Augsburg 1997, ISBN 3-86047-737-4
  • H. Heinzel, R. Fitter, J. Parslow: Pareys Vogelbuch - All birds of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East , Hamburg / Berlin 1983, ISBN 3-490-19918-9
  • Lars Svensson , Peter J. Grant, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterström: The new cosmos bird guide. Kosmos, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-440-07720-9 , p. 262 f.

Web links

Commons : Giant Redstart  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files